Photo via OLSHA.org

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Academy, a small high school in Rockford, Ill., plans to add a football team this season.

There’s just one small hurdle: the entire population of the school is 18 students

That small student population makes it hard to field any sports team, let alone an 11-player high school football team. However, the players are rallying around the idea and hoping to use it as an opportunity to grow the school.

“It’s going to be a pride thing,” junior quarterback Paul Bageanis said in the Rockford Register Star. “I have my own team, to show who I am, to show what our school can do. We might not get enough guys, we might not have a team, but if we do, we will be blessed and play our hardest.”

The school hopes to increase the student population by advertising around the community. The campaign includes around 200 signs displayed around Rockford, while current players are trying to recruit their friends, according to the RRStar.

Right now, Sacred Heart has 13, possibly 14, students committed to the team. Within the 14, there are no seniors and only three juniors. There is potential for up to 20 players, due to the school accepting home-schooled players and its ability to give out scholarships to the children of men and women serving in the military.

“We just need 11,” said principal Lou Bageanis. “I wouldn’t want to do that, but we are committed to doing this for the kids, and we can’t let the conference down. We’ve got a full schedule we’ve got to keep, so if we only have 11, we’re playing with 11.”

The Illinois High School Association released its schedules last week and indeed, Our Lady of Sacred Heart has a full eight-game schedule, facing opponents whose enrollment ranges from 92 to 276.

While the challenge is daunting, building and growing a team is something that is also exciting the players.

“It will be cool to do this as the smallest school in the state,” Bageanis said. “Maybe they’ll make a movie about us.”

To learn more about Sacred Heart’s football program, click here.

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